August 20, 2011

The American Cheese Society has named October “American Cheese Month” – all American cheeses… not that rubbery stuff… The Lady is attending a meeting next Monday afternoon at the Denver Headquarters of the American Cheese Society to help kick off this first ever American Cheese Month… stay tuned… we will post events as they unfold and are scheduled… woohoo!!!

August 17, 2011

The Man and I love The Lady on vacation… she cooks; she bakes; in general she spoils the two of us…

Last week she met Jim Tassielli, Northwest Sales Merchandiser for Sartori Foods and he graciously sent along a few cheese wedges for moi, your humble Feline Foodie, to taste and share with The Man and The Lady. One of the wedges was Gorgonola Dolcino and The Lady immediately whipped up a tangy salad dressing using it and serving it on lettuce wedges and chopped veggies from The Garden of The Man.

Boil water for pasta – The Lady adds chicken bouillon rather than salt.

In a large saucepan add half of each of the butter, EVOO and Bacon grease. Melt on medium heat. Add the onions, sugar and chardonnay. Cut for about 30 minutes to caramelize, stirring every five minutes until they turn deep caramel color. Add the mushrooms for the last five minutes. The sugar adds sweetness.

In another saucepan, melt the other halves of butter, EVOO and bacon grease on medium heat. Saute the chicken thighs until cooked through and a little brown on each side. Set aside; when slightly cooled, slice into strips and toss with chopped herbs.

When the pasta is done, drain but do not rinse. Place in serving bowl and immediately add the gorgonzola and parm/reg. Mix and allow the cheeses to melt.

August 15, 2011

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As mentioned over at cheesemonger weblog, The Lady brought home three flavored Monterey Jacks cheeses made by Rocking W Dairy in Olathe, Colorado. We enjoyed the cheeses as a snack last night and this morning I awoke to the smell of bacon sizzling in the kitchen. Naturally I was interested and made my way to discover The Lady making quesadillas using the Rocking W Garlic Chives Monterey. She picked herbs from her herb garden, which is maintained by The Man along with tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and jalapenos from The Man’s garden. She suggested I share the recipe with you, my loyal readers. I also took pictures with her new Droid phone… no easy “feet” for a feline who lacks an opposable thumb…

While the bacon fried and I rubbed The Lady’s legs to make sure she knew I was interested, she chopped the veggies and the herbs. Then she shredded the cheese and whisked the eggs.

She let the bacon drain on paper towels and then she crushed it up. At that point, I made my intentions clear and was rewarded with my own share of bacon… ahh… I love it when a plan comes together…

Using a bit of olive oil, The Lady scrambled the eggs easy and lightly sautéed the veggies and herb. Then she built the quesadilla inside the sauté pans. She browned them on one side and flipped them to brown the other side. She served them with a Pico de Gallo she made from The Man’s garden bounty (recipe follows) and guacamole from the salsa bar at the Hawthorne Fred Meyer.

This recipe sounds yummy – The Lady on vacation next week and you can bet she’ll be making it for The Man and moi.

Famous Dave’s Mac ’n’ Cheese

Servings: 8 to 12

2 tablespoons butter, plus ¼ cup (½ stick), divided

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

¾ cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

4 ounces aged white cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1½ cups sweet corn niblets

2 jalapenos, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 pound jumbo elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cubed

8 ounces Colby cheese, cubed

½ cup cracker crumbs

½ cup panko (Japanese-style) bread crumbs

¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the butter until thoroughly combined to form a roux. Slowly whisk in the milk, then the half-and-half. Whisk in the mustard, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes to develop the flavors. Whisk in the white cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Stir in the corn, jalapenos and parsley, then remove from heat.

Stir in the macaroni, then the cubed sharp cheddar and Colby cheeses. Spoon the macaroni and cheese into a buttered 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

Melt the remaining one-quarter cup of butter in a small sauce pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the cracker, panko and unseasoned bread crumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the macaroni and cheese.

Bake the mac ’n’ cheese until bubbly and browned on top, about 40 minutes.